Some collapsed into prolonged hugs of half-exhaustion and half-elation. Some smiled quietly to themselves. Some wept openly.

For the many Barack Obama supporters who gathered Tuesday night at the Spectacular Event Center in Bangor, news of the Democrat’s decisive win was a thrilling validation.

Most media outlets called Maine and its four electoral votes for Obama almost immediately after polls closed at 8 p.m. The bigger victory came a little later after it appeared clear the senator from Illinois would reach 270 electoral votes, signaling a projected landslide for the first African-American president-elect in history.

“I can’t believe the effort and the number of volunteers that have contributed to this coordinated campaign,” U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, a Democrat who won his own re-election, told the raucous crowd in Bangor. “You really put Maine on the map.”

One of the most anticipated presidential elections in history drew Mainers to their polling places in record numbers Tuesday, adding to an already unprecedented number of absentee ballots cast. With 37 percent of the votes reported, Obama led Arizona Sen. John McCain 60 percent to 38 percent in Maine, based on unofficial results compiled by the Bangor Daily News.

“Today is the culmination of nearly two years of a remarkable campaign. Mainers are ready for change. All over the state, people came together to help chart a new course for our country, many who had never registered to vote before and never volunteered on a campaign,” said Toby McGrath, Maine’s campaign director for Obama.

McCain supporters who gathered at a rally at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer had a somber and subdued collective mood even before their candidate conceded the race shortly before 11:30 p.m.

“It’s a tough night and a disappointing night,” said state Rep. Josh Tardy, R-Newport, McCain’s campaign co-chairman for Maine. “But I think we still need to look at this process as a victory for Maine voters. I give credit to the Obama campaign for the organization they developed in this state.”

Michaud called Obama’s convincing win an absolute mandate for change.

“This entire election is about people wanting change and making it happen,” he said. “Usually, when voters are angry it creates apathy, but we saw the opposite this time.”

Maine has now voted Democratic in the past five presidential elections, although this is the first time the state has picked a winner since Bill Clinton in 1996. In 2000 and 2004, respectively, Mainers voted for Al Gore and John Kerry, each of whom went on to lose to President Bush.

Obama’s win in Maine came despite heavy advertising late by McCain’s campaign. He even sent his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and her husband to Maine in hopes of swaying voters, particular in the more conservative 2nd Congressional District. Because Maine splits its electoral votes, McCain could have picked up one electoral vote by winning the 2nd District, even though it has yet to happen.

“I’m tired of my district always being on the Republicans’ target list,” Michaud told the crowd. “When will they learn the 2nd isn’t a red district?”

Even before Maine voters began arriving at the polls Tuesday morning, some 227,000 absentee ballots had been returned, far outpacing a record of about 166,000 set in 2004.

The first Maine results came just before 9 a.m. from Glenwood Plantation in Aroostook County. Its three voters gave Obama a 2-to-1 lead, which set the tone for the evening.

Wanda Thomas, town clerk in Orono, has presided over every presidential election since 1972 and said this year has been far different from anything she has seen.

“There seems to be more excitement, and it’s mostly for the presidential race,” she said.

Obama won among self-described moderate voters by close to 2-to-1 and by a similar percentage among voters calling themselves political independents, according to exit polls conducted for The Associated Press. He also won among all income groups.

Anecdotally, young voters appeared to be ushering Obama to a convincing win in Maine.

The typically unreliable voting bloc was out in droves at the University of Maine and at Bangor High School, which facilitated voting for Husson University students.

Sue Hart, registrar of voters for Orono, spent the day at UMaine. Four years ago, the wait time was more than two hours. This year, voters were in and out within a half-hour, she said.

“It’s actually calmer than it has been in the past,” Hart said early Tuesday afternoon.

Libby Shepard, 18, of Amherst said she waited in line about 20 minutes to cast her first-ever ballot, for Barack Obama.

“I would have waited all day,” she said. “This is a huge election.”

Nate Wildes, 18, of Cumberland is the student coordinator for UMaine-Uvote, a nonpartisan group that encourages participation and awareness among students.

“Everything has been very smooth,” he said. “We’ve had a constant line but no long wait.”

Ashley Smith, 20, of York and Angie Richard, 22, of Temple are roommates in an on-campus apartment. Both cast ballots for Obama.

“I know it sounds cheesy, but I feel like this was my first opportunity to make a difference with my vote,” she said. “I even took a moment to read through the entire ballot when I was in there, just to kind of savor it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

erussell@bangordailynews.net

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